{photo by Eric Skwarczynski}
Favorite meals, that is! Even though we haven’t exactly had typical “fall” weather yet, we trust that it is coming! And so, with that positive outlook, we have two cozy, comforting (and healthy!) autumn-inspired meals to share with you today, sent in by SLOCA parents.
Our first tempting offering is from Paige Bartel, our High School Science, Algebra, and Science Lead Teacher, as well as mom of two SLOCA boys:
Stupid Soup (That is, wicked good and stupid healthy… soup)
Or so the original poster of this recipe said. They were right. Holy goodness, was it good. I did a bit of tweaking to add more sweet potato and make it kid & husband-with-a-weak-stomach friendly, and to accommodate what I had on hand. I also pureed what was left figuring it could double as baby food, and I have to say I kind of preferred it that way… though I am partial to the creamy butternut squash-type soup rather than the broth-y floating noodle & rice type of soup. Either way, it was good. WRILL good.
Curried Red Lentil, Kale and Sweet Potato Soup
Modified from The Bojon Gourmet
6 moderate main course-sized servings
{photo credit: The Bonjon Gourmet}
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 inches peeled and minced fresh ginger
- 3 large clove garlic, crushed
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon salt (more as needed)
- 1 can tomato paste
- 4 cups bone broth (or chicken/vegetable stock)
- 1 cup water
- 1 (13.5 ounce) can light coconut milk
- 1 cup split red lentils, washed
- 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, diced 1/2″
- 1 bunch kale, chopped with ribs removed
- 3-4 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- sour cream or whole milk yogurt, for serving
Directions:
1. Melt the coconut oil in a large soup pot. When it shimmers, add the onion. Cook over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes, adding the ginger, garlic, curry powder and salt as you prepare them, and stirring occasionally. Add the coconut milk and tomato paste, and cook for a few minutes, stirring, until a film forms on the bottom of the pan. Add the water, lentils, and sweet potato, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until the sweet potato is tender and the lentils are soft and partially broken down, about half an hour.
2. Add the chopped kale to the pot when the soup is done. Simmer until the kale is wilted, tender and bright green, another 5 minutes or so. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. At this point, you can puree with an immersion blender, depending on your preference for soup consistency. (I like the smooth version, plus I think it's easier to get the kiddo to eat the kale… my son thinks that the kale is seaweed (ala miso soup) if I leave it chunky.)
3. Ladle the soup into bowls, and top with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt.
(This soup keeps very well in the refrigerator for up to a week, though the kale and cilantro will lose their verdant color. If you like, blanch the kale separately in a pot of lightly salted boiling water until bright green and crisp-tender, drain it, and run it under cool water to stop the cooking. Drain and store it separately in the fridge, and add it, with the cilantro, as you heat batches of soup. This will keep it green and retain its texture. For a vegan option, omit the yogurt and finish the soup with a squeeze of lemon.)
And for those of you who enjoyed the delicious Butternut Squash Chili at History Day (and for those who didn’t get to try it…), here’s the recipe! This was sent it by Julie Campbell, mom of one high schooler and another SLOCA graduate who’s in college:
Butternut Squash Chili with Quinoa
from America’s Test Kitchen magazine’s The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook
serves 6
{photo by Jenny Bischoff}
I left out the peanuts when I made this for History Day, but I’ve made it with the nuts and it’s yummy either way!
Ingredients:
- 3 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (9 cups)
- 2 onions, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 6 T vegetable oil
- salt and pepper
- 5 cups water, plus extra as needed
- 3/4 cup dry roasted salted peanuts, chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 T grated fresh ginger
- 3/4 t ground cinnamon
- 3/4 t ground coriander
- 1/2 t cayenne pepper
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk
- 1 cup pre-washed white quinoa
- 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro or parsley
Directions:
1. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 450 degrees. Toss squash, onions, 1/4 cup oil, 1 t salt, and 1/2 t pepper together in a bowl. Spread vegetables out in even layer over two rimmed baking sheets. Roast vegetables, stirring occasionally, until tender, 45 to 50 minutes, rotating and switching sheets halfway through roasting.
2. In food processor, process 1/2 cup roasted vegetables, 2 cups water, and 1/4 cup peanuts until smooth, about 1 minute.
3. Heat remaining 2 T oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add bell pepper, jalapeño, and 2 t salt and cook until peppers start to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, ginger, cinnamon, coriander, cayenne, and 3/4 t pepper, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4. Stir in remaining 3 cups water, tomatoes, and their juice, coconut milk, and quinoa and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes.
5. Stir in pureed vegetable mixture and remaining roasted vegetables and let heat through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust consistency with additional hot water as needed. Sprinkle individual portions with cilantro and remaining 3/4 cup peanuts and serve.
